The Issue
by Keeperofthemoon0
Summary: "You are like a flame, Miss Foster," Loki told her softly. "You burn so bright but the fire in you will not last long before it finally succumbs to the darkness that is death." Loki/Jane


Jane could barely stop herself from putting her head in her hands and just walking out of the room. They were fighting, again, which was not an uncommon occurrence ever since Thor dropped Loki off at her doorstep. Loki was so angry at being defeated and caught once more during a mastermind plot of his to rule a kingdom and Jane was so angry that he took Thor away from her again. They despised being stuck together in the house that Jane and Thor had built together.

But she had thought they were past this stage in their relationship.

They had stopped fighting as much and began to talk instead, though in the beginning it was only sentences. Loki was determined not to give in to her, that it was crazy for him to be stuck on Midgard with her, and Jane thought he had given into enough madness already so why not try some more? For some reason Thor thought Jane could help Loki. Jane didn't really believe it and she knew Loki was skeptical as well. But that was his punishment for betraying Thor again, to be stuck with Jane while Thor figured out the situation in Asgard.

It had been two months.

"What is the issue, Loki?" she asked, hearing the strain in her voice.

She hated fighting in general. But fighting with Loki was like a dance. He led her through the fight, unwilling to let her change course or speed. He had complete control. It tired her out and the words he used could cut deep. But, as any good dance partner would, she followed his lead and said things just as horrible.

At her question, Loki snapped his head towards her. His hair was curling at his shoulders, so dark, a stark contrast to the white shirt he wore, and she took that second to study him. He was handsome in an unconventional way. Loki would never be Thor, Thor who could stop a crowd of girls with just a smile. Loki was all sharp edges, something you didn't want to get close to unless you knew how to approach it. But, as much as Jane hated to admit it, she had grown use to Loki's sharp edges. And she had come to appreciate his wolf-like smile and his biting jokes. Loki would never be Thor but it was not a realization that had bothered Jane.

"The issue?" he spat.

He stalked over to where she was seated and she straightened. A sliver of fear ran through her but she pushed it down as Loki approached. As often as they had fought he had never harmed her. He would not hurt her, he couldn't, Thor would kill him-

Loki grabbed her by her arms and yanked her out of her seat. Jane cried out as he threw her against the wall. Her hair came out of her bun and for a moment she couldn't see anything from the shield of hair that covered her sight. She breathed out harshly as Loki let go of one of her arms.

"Loki!" his name came out strangled.

She could hear the shake in her voice and hated herself for that. If anything, Loki would feed off her fear. She had learned that already.

The wall was digging painfully into her back and she struggled to get away but he tightened his grip on her. Jane didn't like being blind and she did not like the position she was in. She could feel the warmth of his body on hers; he was closer than she preferred.

"The issue is, Jane," Loki whispered, his voice tight.

He paused and brushed her hair out of her face. It was startling to have Loki so close to her. She had to tilt her head to look up at him, to catch his dark eyes that were storming with thought. She had never known his eyes were such a bright green.

"I don't want you to die."

His words stopped Jane's thoughts. She breathed out harshly and shook her head, confused.

"What?"

Was he going to kill her? What did he mean?

But even as her mind whirled from his words, twisting and rephrasing them and trying to find a meaning, Jane realized Loki truly meant her no harm. She could see it in the tug of his lips as he frowned down at her. When had she learned his expressions? Wary as she was of the God of Mayhem, Jane had long ago allowed a seed of trust for Loki to be planted when he saved her life from the Dark Elves. How could she not? He had not needed to save her.

"I hate you," his voice was as sharp as a knife. "Everything about you. You're mortal, you're weak, you are, if anything, just a nuisance that has been placed in my life to keep me well behaved. Thor thinks you're going to change me, in all his ignorance he truly believes you are the key to changing my ways..."

Loki pushed away from her as if it had been her holding onto him. Her back hit the wall again from his push and her arm stung from his grip, it would probably bruise. Jane watched silently as he licked his lips. His eyes were unfocused for a moment before turning back onto her. If there was a way for her to melt into the wall then she would have.

Whatever this fight was about it was not the normal rift raft.

He had never said he hated her before. Even if Jane had known it to be true, had seen it burning in his eyes, he had never said it out loud. That made it even worse. And as much as she tried to fight it she knew the hurt had flashed across her face, if even for the briefest moment. And Jane knew Loki saw it. He saw everything.

"Or perhaps I am the nuisance placed in your life."

Loki chuckled then.

"I have hated you before I even met you," he told her simply, so honest. "I wish I would have let you die."

Jane sucked in a breath.

"Stop," she cried out. "Loki just-"

He was too fast for her and she didn't have time to back away, run, do anything, before he was on top of her again. She could barely stop herself from screaming when he grabbed her and brought her to him. He was going to kill her-

Loki's eyes scanned her face and caught her eyes. He lowered his head slowly and kept his lips a breath away from hers. Jane sucked in air just as Loki sighed and her pulse, which had been rocketing, was now slowing. Later Jane would try to convince herself that she had no time to stop Loki from kissing her, that he forced the kiss. But that wasn't true. They held each other eyes for one breath, two breaths before Loki finally closed the distance between them.

It was a short kiss, just a taste of each other, but Jane could barely catch her breath once their lips parted. Loki stepped away from her, his head tilted as he studied her reaction.

"That's not fair," she said, holding a hand out to keep him away from her. "You can't tell me you hate me then kiss me."

Jane reached up with her other hand and touched her lips.

"You can't kiss me, Loki. Thor and I-"

He waved an impatient hand to stop her from continuing.

"You cut your hand yesterday."

At the abrupt conversation change, Jane's eyes narrowed. She had been slicing fruit the day before and became distracted when Loki walked into the room. It had been her fault that the sharp blade easily went through the tender skin of her palm but it hadn't made the pain any less unbearable.

"You're weak. You were crying, you could hardly contain your emotions," Loki grabbed her hand and turned it in his so he could see the palm.

There was hardly a scar. He had healed her with his magic as soon as the first tear had run its course down her face.

"You are like a flame, Miss Foster," Loki told her softly. "You burn so bright but the fire in you will not last long before it finally succumbs to the darkness that is death."

Goosebumps rose on Jane's skin as Loki's thumb ran over the delicate skin on her wrist. She wondered if he felt her pulse jump.

"I do not want you to die," Loki repeated.

Jane bit her lip and saw that the action had drawn Loki's attention. She felt a warm burn begin deep down in her and when he licked his lips, a subtle motion, she felt the burn spread through her like an infection. Without another thought, Jane pulled Loki's head down towards her and pressed her lips against his.

It was the beginning of the end. Or perhaps it was the end of a beginning.

Because as Jane kissed Loki, as he lifted her body easily with one arm and used the other to knock everything off her desk, Jane did not think of Thor. She just thought of Loki, of the way his lips found her neck as he laid her down on the cold desk. Her body was hot and the cold caused her to arch into him but he did not mind. If anything he used it as an invitation for his hand to drift under her shirt and touch the soft skin of her back. She could feel him smirk against her skin when she couldn't contain a moan.

"Not fair," she panted and used both hands to rip open his button up shirt.

"My, my, Jane," he murmured before catching her lips again.

His hands left her skin to tug her shirt off. Loki leaned away from her to study the territory he had never seen before. Jane watched, lips parted, unable to control her breathing. Was this really happening? Was she letting this happen?

Loki seemed to be having trouble catching his breath as well. It was one of the only times Jane had seen him lose control and it was the first time he wasn't fighting with someone when it happened. Jane shifted under him as he easily unbuttoned her jeans.

"Loki, wait-"

He glanced at her, impatient, as if he had known she was going to do this.

"I- this, us- we can't do this. I can't do this-"

She used both her hands to push him away from her. Scrambling off the table Jane almost slipped on some fallen papers. Her cheeks burned red and she had one hand covering her bra when she turned to face Loki. He was laying across the table, chest exposed and eyebrows raised.

"Loki, I'm sorry, I just can't," Jane whispered.

Loki slowly sat up.

"You think I wanted this to happen?" he asked her, hands gripping the edge of the table as he stared at her. "You think I want this? That I want to want you? I am a god, I have lived a thousand lives the length of yours and have a thousand more to come. Your appearance in my life is just a second in the span of the life I will live."

Loki stood and turned away from her. He screamed then, so loudly that Jane flinched away from him, before he took the table and threw it against the wall. Jane yelled, stumbling away from the flying pieces of wood.

"And it's a second I didn't want, I never wanted!" Loki shouted. "I didn't want to be here with you, you stupid girl! My time is wasted here, as is yours. You will not save me."

Loki paused. He was engulfed in madness and she had caused this.

"But I cannot stop my desire for you. And you're lying if you think you don't want this too."

Was that true?

Jane didn't know. She felt lost, so lost, but she did know she didn't want to leave him right now. Even if he was insane, even if he hated her, she knew they were in the same boat. Neither wanted to like the other, to desire the other, to care a bit about the other and yet...

The wood shards pressed into the bottom of her foot as she stepped towards him. He watched, his energy having left him, as she took another tentative step. She sucked in a breath when one piece stabbed her underfoot but she just curled her toes and continued. A small smirk danced across his lips when he saw the spasm of pain flash across her face. Then he spoke.

"Stop there, Jane."

Loki easily stepped over the wreckage to get to her.

"Loki..."

He picked her up before she could continue, cradling her body against his, and took her into the bedroom he had been occupying. Jane tried to ignore the sound of his heart pounding, the soft feel of his chest, the slight stubble she saw on his face. Loki put her on his bed.

"Do not be so foolish, Jane," he told her as he looked at the blood on her foot. "I don't want you to hurt yourself."

She sighed as she felt the pain dull in her foot from his touch. Nothing would ever be the same.


End file.
